EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this section is to
review and analyze land use in the Town of
The Town of
·
Preserve the family farm and farmland in the Town of
·
Guide the future growth of the Town in a planned
fashion
·
Plan for the provision of necessary public services
·
Protect the natural environment
·
Preserve the rural atmosphere in the Town of
To achieve these goals, the
following policies have been developed to guide the Town Board and the Town
Plan Commission in making future land use decisions.
(h) Land-use element. A compilation of objectives,
policies, goals, maps and programs to guide the future development and
redevelopment of public and private property. The element shall
contain a listing of the amount, type, intensity and net density of
existing uses of land in the local governmental unit, such as agricultural,
residential, commercial, industrial and other public and private
uses. The element shall analyze trends in the supply, demand and
price of land, opportunities for redevelopment and existing and potential
land-use conflicts. The element shall contain projections, based on
the background information specified in par. (a),
for 20 years, in 5-year increments, of future residential, agricultural,
commercial and industrial land uses including the assumptions of net
densities or other spatial assumptions upon which the projections are
based. The element shall also include a series of maps that shows
current land uses and future land uses that indicate productive agricultural
soils, natural limitations for building site development, floodplains,
wetlands and other environmentally sensitive lands, the boundaries of areas
to which services of public utilities and community facilities, as those
terms are used in par. (d),
will be provided in the future, consistent with the timetable described in par. (d),
and the general location of future land uses by net density or other
classifications.
LAND USE POLICIES
I.
FARM PRESERVATION
1.
Enforce a development density of one home per 30 acres in the Town of
In order
to establish a residential density that is appropriate to the land and the
rural character of community services, and to limit the impact of land
speculation upon farmlands in the Town, the policy shall be to have dwelling
units at a density of not more than one (1) dwelling unit per thirty (30)
acres.
This
density standard shall be determined on the basis of contiguous ownership
parcels of record as listed in the Town of
All vacant
parcels, 40 acres or less, existing prior to adoption of the Town of Arena 40-Acre
Ordinance (November, 1983) will be grandfathered to allow one dwelling unit,
subject to an agreement by the property owner that the entire parcel be deed
restricted by covenant to have no more than one dwelling unit per 40 acres as a
condition of approval of a rezoning or a building permit issued by the Town.
2.
Require a minimum lot size of 5 acres for residential development.
The
minimum parcel size for dwellings in conformance with one unit per 30-acre
policy is five (5) acres. Residential
building sites shall not contain more than one (1) acre of farmland as defined
herein.
3.
Limit non-farm development on productive farmlands (lands
having a history of farming activity including cropland and pasture land).
An
exception to this policy will be granted where farmland parcels are too small
to be economically used for agricultural purposes or which are inaccessible to
modern farm machinery needed to produce and harvest agricultural products.
One
exception to this policy will be granted to allow an owner of a farm prior to
January 1, 1985, to build on a maximum 5 acre parcel of productive farmland,
contingent upon that parcel being bordered on two sides by a roadway or
property line, and the owner has an
available building site based on the residential density standards.
4.
Restrict the location of new private driveways or
roads through the Town of
New private
driveways or roads shall not be permitted to cross or dissect productive
farmlands unless located along existing line fences as of January 1, 2005, or
natural features such as a stream.
5.
Refrain from expanding public utilities through areas of productive
farmland.
Any new
development requiring public utility extensions (electric power lines,
telephone lines, gas distribution lines) to cross productive farmlands in a
manner that will disrupt farming activities will not be permitted.
6.
Require non-farm development to locate at least 400 feet from an
operating farm.
To avoid
possible farm nuisance complaints, development meeting the above criteria will
not be permitted to locate within 400 feet of an operating farm unit or
agricultural facility. If in the opinion
of the Town a greater distance is required to avoid possible conflicts from
existing or proposed agricultural operations, a greater setback distance may be
required.
7.
Encourage farmland erosion control practices.
The Town
will encourage farmland erosion control practices. The Town will work with the Iowa County Soil
Conservation Service Office and will encourage landowners to follow approved
farm conservation plans aimed at reducing soil erosion rates.
8.
Monitor large-scale farm operations.
The Town
will monitor intensive, confinement, and /or large-scale farming operations to
avoid possible land use conflicts and environmental nuisances. Any farm operation (farm unit) exceeding 300 animal units as defined below will be
subject to review and approval in compliance with the performance standards of
the Town of
II. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
1.
Allow a maximum of six homes to cluster in any given
area.
2.
No more than six dwelling units will be allowed to
cluster with abutting parcel boundaries or on a shared driveway.
3.
Require conformance to the Town of
See the
required criteria included in Section I of the Town of
4.
Restrict the dedication and maintenance of future
roadways in the Town of
The Town
of
5.
Require all new mobile homes to be located in a
mobile home park.
All future
mobile homes in the Town of
6.
Non-residential development structures are allowed
development that will be permitted, but may not exceed 600 square feet.
Accessory
building, storage buildings or similar buildings, not intended for year round
occupancy and not related to a farm or permitted dwelling may be allowed on a
case-by-case conditional approval basis.
In no such case shall the structure exceed 600 sq. ft. or have internal
plumbing. Recreation cabins will be
limited to one (1) per thirty (30) acres – the same provisions as a residential
dwelling unit.
III. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1.
Encourage commercial development to cluster along the
Highway 14 corridor near existing commercial development.
Commercial
development along Highway 14 will be permitted in conformance with all of the
other policies established for development.
In addition, the Town will encourage new commercial development to
“cluster” or located in or adjacent to existing, commercially zoned areas.
2.
Require all new commercial development to have
frontage on either a county or state highway.
This is
required so that high volumes of traffic are not shifted onto Town roads and in
turn, require additional upkeep and maintenance. Small family businesses would be exceptions.
3.
Encourage large-scale industry or business
development to connect to public water and wastewater utilities.
4.
Agricultural businesses providing farm services
and/or supplies will be permitted to locate within the farming areas of the
Township. Agricultural business
development will be reviewed by the Town as a conditional use that may receive
variance from the other policies and performance standards of the Town of
5.
Recreation and institutional development proposed in
the Town of
6.
Small family business may be permitted in any part of
the Town, provided that the business is conducted primarily by members of the
immediate family. Signage shall be
determined by conditional use restrictions.
IV. PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS
The Town of
At a minimum, the following
information will need to be submitted to the Town of
a)
A
minimum total parcel size of 640 contiguous acres under single, corporation,
firm, partnership or association of ownership to be considered for a PUD.
b)
A
minimum lot size of 2 acres for single family residential building sites within
a PUD.
c)
A
density standard of 1 residential building site per 30 acres in a PUD; all
existing residential structures count against the density standard.
d)
A
minimum of 50% of the PUD remains in open space.
e)
Evidence
of adequate financial resources to complete the proposed project.
f)
Proposed
land uses, the location of various dwelling types and dwelling unit densities,
and the location of all other proposed buildings and construction.
g)
Proposed
primary traffic circulation pattern, including proposed public and private
streets and maintenance of those streets.
h)
Proposed
park, playgrounds and other common open space areas.
i)
Proposed
delineation of units or phases to be constructed in progression.
j)
Proposed
means of dedication of common open space areas and organizational arrangements
for the ownership, maintenance, preservation of common open space, streets, and
other common facilities, including a copy of the homeowners’ or property owners
association bylaws, if such organization is to be used.
k)
Relation
of land uses in the surrounding area to the land use plan for the PUD.
l)
Impact
on all public services.
m) Proposal for handling drainage,
water and sewage plans.
V.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
1. The Town of
2. The Town Plan Commission will closely monitor the state and federal
activities related to the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway a state recreation
area. The Town of
TOWN OF
The Town of
TOWN OF
The following performance
standards have been developed to implement the Town of
1.
The existing County Zoning Ordinance and Sanitation
Ordinance
2.
A Town of
3.
A Town of
4.
A Driveway Ordinance
5.
Iowa
The combination of the regulatory
devices enables the Town to enforce the following performance standards.
A.
Driveway Standards
No person, firm, or corporation
shall establish or construct a private driveway or in-driveway, nor shall any
person, firm, or corporation proceed with the grading of a driveway without
first obtaining the written approval of the Town of
1.
Minimum width, curve radius, and maximum grade as
follows:
a.
One (1) dwelling unit or parcel served requires a 12’
roadway width with a minimum 6’ x 25’ pull-off lane every 400’. The maximum grade slope must not exceed 10
percent with a horizontal curve radius of 40’.
b.
Two (2) to six (6) maximum dwellings on a shared
driveway require a 16’ roadway width.
The maximum grade slope must not exceed 10 percent with a horizontal
curve radius of 40’.
2.
Driveway Construction will not be permitted to bisect
farmlands except within the one (1) acres of the building site. In cases where there is no other option,
driveway construction may be permitted within fifty (50) feet of line fences as
of January 1, 2005 or other natural feature currently dividing farmlands.
3.
Driveways may be shared but shall be limited to
provide access to no more than six (6) dwelling units or parcels. Any driveway proposed for joint use shall be
required to have recorded multi-party access easements and maintenance
agreements reviewed and approved by the Town.
4.
All driveways will require the review and approval of
the Town. Additional improvements related
to emergency vehicle turn-around and passing standards may be required. The Town may require bonds or similar devices
to insure that construction conforms to the standards as approved.
5.
The residential driveway bed must be covered with a
minimum of 6” of gravel or crushed rock.
The gravel or rock must be of a road construction surface grade. The driveway must be maintained in a
condition that complies with the specifications.
6.
At the entrance to a Town road, each driveway shall
have a culvert of no less that 18” diameter.
The gravel in-driveway section abutting the public road pavement shall
have a minimum width of 20’ to a minimum perpendicular distance of 20’. To prevent drainage and driveway erosion in
to the public roadway, this in-drive section falling within the public
right-of-way shall be required to slope away from the public road grade at a
minimum of 1 percent and a maximum of 5 percent. Requirements of this paragraph may be
modified at the discretion of the Town Board and Plan Commission.
7.
Driveways taking access off state and county highways
will be required to comply with all of the driveway standards contained herein
except number 6 above.
8.
Construction of driveways shall not interfere with
natural drainage patterns. Natural
drainage way crossings shall be rip-rapped or otherwise stabilized below
drainage and culvert discharge points for a distance sufficient to carry the
discharge water without channel erosion.
9.
Grading for driveway construction will be required to
preserve or match the natural contours of the site. Driveway alignment should follow the natural
terrain. Grading should attempt to
retain existing trees and other natural vegetation to stabilize hillside
cuts. The top and toe of the slopes
shall be rounded to avoid additional erosion.
Any cut and fill slopes greater than 3 to 1 will require the
construction of a retaining wall, rip-rapping or similar soil stabilization
technique. Erosion control measures
shall be required to be planted with permanent vegetation to reduce soil
erosion. The Town may require the
preparation of construction and erosion control plans approved by a registered
engineer of the Iowa County Soil Conservation Service Office.
B.
Land Division Standards
No person, firm, or corporation
shall divide or be entitled to record any land division resulting in the
creation of a new parcel without the written approval of the Town of
1.
The minimum parcel size for a building parcel is 5
acres. This is a minimum standard but
the parcel size and shape should be related to the natural lay of the land and
surrounding features. For a parcel to be
eligible as a building site not more than one (1) acre of the total areas can
be farmland as defined herein.
2.
The minimum lot width at the building line shall be
200’.
3.
All parcels must have a minimum of 50’ frontage on a
public road or be on a private driveway easement approved by the Town of
4.
A survey map prepared by a registered land surveyor
shall be required for all land divisions resulting in the creation of a new
parcel of less than 80 acres. An
exception to the requirement for a survey map may be allowed where the new
parcel is over 40 acres and can be legally described on the basis of section,
quarter-section, and quarter-quarter section lines.
5.
The Town may require deed restrictions, covenants and
similar notations to be included on the survey map deemed necessary by the
Town.
6.
When a land division is required the number of available
building sites shall be indicated on the deed.
C.
Building Standards
No person, firm, or corporation
shall construct or locate any building or structure listed below in the Town of
·
Principal buildings or structures as defined in the
Iowa County Zoning Ordinance
·
Recreation cabins
·
Agricultural confinement buildings meeting the
standards in number 8 of the Farm Preservation Policies.
1.
The Town will review plans and issue building permits
found to be in compliance with the Town’s planning policies and all other
performance standards (Driveway and Land Division).
2.
A building permit shall be good for six months from
the date of the issuance. Establishment
of foundations, framing, and construction of a driveway meeting Town standards
shall vest the permit if accomplished within this period.
3.
All Town building permits will be issued on the
condition that they receive all the required approvals of
4.
All future mobile homes in the Town of
D.
Town of
1.
Home must be a minimum of 23 feet wide.
2.
Roof must have a slope of
3.
Home must be placed on a permanent foundation.
4.
Home must meet the State of Wisconsin One Family
Dwelling Code.
5.
Home must have an 8-inch eave attached to the entire
perimeter of the structure.
6. Home must have not less than 1000 square feet of li